I just wanted to spew some effusive drivel in the general direction of the class I'm currently taking... I had forgotten how fun it was to learn new things, and quite frankly, had started to wonder if I could learn anything new at this age.
We're currently studying pre-hospital cardiology, and in the course of that I have been gaining some amazing insight (and incredible new appreciation) into how marvelous of a machine our bodies are... particularly the heart. As I study the intricasies that comprise this little mass of muscle that is only about the size of your fist, I practically have to tie my jaw up a la Jacob Marley to keep it from banging on the keyboard... the complexity is as amazing as the genious of its' design.
The heart contains the ONLY cells in the body that have the ability to generate electrical impulses themselves, without outside stimulus... even if the heart "loses its' internet connection," and we call that "automaticity." That in itself is amazing... but then the heart has 3 different types of "back up" mechanisms to ensure that it keeps beating, even if something (trauma, disease process) slows or alters the electrical stimulation coming from the brain! Two different "nodes," or control centers in the heart, constantly monitor these electrical impulses, and are designed to automatically kick in if the one above it fails or even slows to the point where it is ineffective anymore. Amazing!
Cardiac drugs have evolved now to the point where, in many cases, we can "cardiovert" someone who has an RTAHWAD ("Rhythm that ain't hardly worth a DAMN!" - that's the technical term, of course) to something that can sustain life.. basically a "reboot" of the heart... without using paddles and shouting "CLEAR!" and then raising them off the cot about a foot when you shock them.. (or OURSELVES about a foot off the floor when we inadvertantly touch the cot when they're being shocked); our drugs do it all chemically, and very quietly and affectively.. in fact, one of the drugs we use... adenosine... successfully cardioverts unsustainable arrhythmias approx. 80% of the time!
Fascinating stuff. :) Just thought I'd share.
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I know you were'nt writing this to me. Or did you think I was this smart? At this point in my life I only get "the and it", but I enjoy your sharing...... and appreciate you learning how to take care of the old folks when these things happen.
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